Jack Straw: In January this year, a man killed his mother-in-law before taking his own life. At the time, he was on bail awaiting trial for the alleged murder of his wife. On 16 January 2008 my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, answering a question about the case (Official Report, Col. 925), said that the Government would be looking at the law on bail.
	Bail decisions in murder cases will never be easy; the vital thing is to ensure that the courts strike the right balance between respecting individuals' rights to liberty and protecting the public. The Government's aim is to target custody as precisely as possible upon those cases where there is a risk of harm to the public. We are today publishing a consultation paper that sets out possible ways of helping the courts to achieve that aim. We shall take account of views expressed in response to it in deciding whether to pursue these ideas. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and are available in the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office. Copies are also available on the internet at http:// www.justice.gov.uk/publications/consultations.htm.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister said that "if any changes in the law are necessary, we will make them". The Government do not take it for granted that it will be necessary to amend legislation, but we shall not hesitate to bring forward whatever changes in guidance, rules or the law may be needed.

Harriet Harman: On 16 January 2008, in publishing the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) report "Review of Parliamentary Pay, Pensions and Allowances 2007" (Cm 7270), I announced in a written ministerial statement (Col. 32WS) that the Government would "examine options that find objective criteria for determining the appropriate comparator used for MPs' pay awards within a framework that does not require MPs to vote in future years, and accordingly have asked Sir John Baker, CBE—the retiring chair of SSRB—to conduct a review and make proposals on options for consideration".
	On 23 January 2008, I set out in a written ministerial statement (column 56WS) the terms of reference of the Sir John Baker review, which were as follows:
	Review of the mechanism for determining the pay and pensions for Members of Parliament
	to examine options and make recommendations for a mechanism for independently determining the pay and pensions of Members of Parliament which does not involve MPs voting on their own pay; the appropriate comparator; and the frequency with which reviews of the use of the comparator take place;
	to ensure that the independent mechanism takes account of the Government's policy on public sector pay and its target for inflation; and
	to have regard to the need for any independent mechanism to maintain the support and trust of the public and Members of Parliament.
	The review should seek to:
	examine comparable international mechanisms and the resulting experience;
	address the constitutional framework alongside legal and legislative considerations;
	consider the range of evidence that should be considered by the recommended independent mechanism in determining an appropriate comparator;
	consider the membership and remit of any independent body that may be part of the pay setting process;
	give due consideration to consistency with other public service wage setting mechanisms and wage settlements across the public service; and
	outline a recommended timetable for transition to any new system.
	On 24 January 2008, in the debate on the Senior Salaries Review Body report (Cm 7270), the House of Commons:
	endorsed the proposal that Sir John Baker should be invited to make recommendations on both the comparator and mechanism for setting MPs' pay;
	agreed that the system for determining the salaries of Members of Parliament should be reviewed, in particular with a view to removing the need for final decisions on salaries to be subject to approval by the House of Commons; and
	agreed that particular recommendations on allowances in the SSRB report "be referred to the Members Estimate Committee for further consideration following consultation with the Advisory Panel on Members Allowances".
	I am today publishing the report from Sir John Baker CBE on "Review of Parliamentary Pay and Pensions" (Cm 7146). It makes recommendations about the current pay of MPs and the mechanisms for future uprating. Copies are available in the Vote Office. I am grateful to Sir John Baker for his work.
	To support the publication of this report, the Government are also publishing their memorandum (Cm 7418) which was sent to Sir John to form part of his review on 20 May 2008.
	The Government have considered Sir John's report and will table motions in advance of the debate on 3 July which will enable the House to vote on resolutions to express and implement their views.
	The Government accept Sir John's recommendation that the SSRB should remain the independent body which conducts reviews of MPs pay, that these reviews should occur once in each Parliament and that the outcome of these reviews should be implemented without the need for further debates or votes in the House.
	The debate comes at a time when it is vital for economic stability that there is a disciplined, responsible approach to pay in both the private and the public sector to hold down inflationary pressures. It is important that senior figures in the public and private sector lead by example in taking a disciplined and restrained approach to pay.
	The Government do not accept Sir John's recommendation that MPs salaries should be increased by £650 a year for the next three years. MPs should set the example at a time of public sector pay restraint. The Government will also not be supporting a link between MPs' salaries and the three-month average public sector average earnings index. Instead, the Government propose, in line with an alternative proposal provided by Sir John Baker, that MPs should receive the median average of the settlements of a wide basket of public sector workforces.
	The motions tabled will offer the House the opportunity to vote to support either the Government's proposal or the options put forward by Sir John.
	In addition, the SSRB report also recognised that "if it becomes likely that, unless action is taken, the Exchequer contribution to the cost of accrual of benefits for MPs in service in the parliamentary contributory pension fund—excluding payments to amortise the accumulated deficit identified in the 2005 valuation of the Fund—would rise above 20 per cent. of payroll, that there should be a major review of the fund"(recommendation 9).
	The Government Actuary's Department has now advised that it anticipates that the cost of accruing benefits would indeed rise above 20 per cent. of payroll. This has effectively triggered the need for the major review recommended by the SSRB, and I will therefore be asking the SSRB to undertake such a review, supported by a panel of people with relevant expertise.
	Given that the review will need to consider, amongst other things, the findings of the Government Actuary's valuation of the PCPF which is to be completed in March 2009, the SSRB would not be expected to report before Spring next year.

Gordon Brown: The 30th report of the Review Body on Senior Salaries is being published today. This makes recommendations about the pay of the senior civil service (SCS), senior military personnel, the judiciary and very senior NHS managers. Copies have been laid in the Vote Office and the Library of the House. I am grateful to the Chairman and members of the Review Body for their work.
	The Government have decided to accept all of the main recommendations of the Review Body as they are affordable and consistent with public sector pay policy. They will be implemented with effect from 1 April 2008. The cost of the awards will be met from within existing Departmental Expenditure Limits.
	Senior Civil Service
	For the SCS, the Review Body has recommended that for the three year period 2008-2011 there should be an indicative envelope of 7 per cent. pay bill available for normal base pay increases and additions to the pot for non-consolidated bonuses. This multi-year pay arrangement will provide certainty and stability for Departments and the workforce. The Government have decided to accept the recommended 7 per cent. envelope, but believes that the appropriate metric is pay bill per head rather than pay bill. This ensures that in the event of any changes in workforce size individual pay awards remain consistent with public sector pay policy. The envelope for SCS pay increases and bonuses over the next three years will therefore be 7 per cent. of pay bill per head.
	For 2008-09, the Review Body has recommended a headline award of 1.5 per cent. and a 1 per cent. increase to the size of the bonus pot.
	The Review Body has recommended that progression target rates for pay bands 1 and 1A should be retained. The Government have decided to replace them with 'reference points', which will serve a similar purpose but no longer have any limiting point on pay increases for serving staff.
	Senior Military Personnel
	The main recommendations of the Review Body on senior military pay are:
	an increase of 2.2 per cent. in the base pay for senior military officers;
	that 2- and 3-star officers (Major Generals and Lieutenant Generals, and equivalents) receive an element of the X-factor—a supplement to base pay in recognition of the differences between military and civilian life—to be phased in over three years commencing 1 April 08;
	that the pay scales are restructured over the course of the next three-years in order to give 1-star officers (Brigadiers and equivalents) a 10 per cent. minimum pay increase on promotion to 2-star.
	Judiciary
	The Review Body's main recommendation for the judiciary is an increase averaging slightly over 2.5 per cent. for almost all judicial salaries.
	Very Senior NHS Managers
	The Review Body considered the pay of very senior NHS managers for the first time this year. It has recommended a 2.2 per cent. increase in the pay of these managers from 1 April 2008.
	Members of Parliament and Ministers
	Ministers' pay is automatically linked to the average increase in the midpoint of SCS pay, which moves in line with SSRB recommendations. However, given the importance of public sector pay restraint at a time of economic uncertainty Ministers will not be accepting any pay rise in 2008-09.
	There is no longer a link between the SSRB's recommendations and the pay of Members of Parliament as there has been in previous years. My right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons is making a statement today on the report into parliamentary pay and allowances, conducted by Sir John Baker, CBE.
	Conclusion
	The Government have accepted the main recommendations of the SSRB. The three-year pay award for the senior civil service will help to deliver economic stability and brings the total of public servants covered by these three year deals to over 1.5 million.